Determination of Critical Slope Face in c – ϕ Soil under Seismic Condition Using Method of Stress Characteristics

Abstract

This study proposes a plasticity-based approach to ensure the static and seismic stability of a finite soil slope supporting a uniformly distributed surcharge on the horizontal top surface. Most of the available investigations based on the limit equilibrium and the limit analysis method mainly rely on the assumed slip surface to determine the stability of a slope with a given geometry. The present analysis employs the method of stress characteristics coupled with the original pseudodynamic approach to trace the actual slip surface of a soil slope under the seismic condition. The results are presented in terms of the critical slope face (CSF) corresponding to a global factor of safety of 1.0. The obtained CSF can be used as a reference to determine the stability of slopes with different geometries. The current approach supersedes the available theories developed to analyze slopes by presenting a more general solution without assuming any predefined slip surface. The proposed idea is endorsed with a detailed parametric study that demonstrates the influence of various parameters such as cohesion and the angle of internal friction of soil, surcharge loading, and seismic wave properties on the stability of a finite slope. As a notable outcome, this investigation promotes a bilinear or concave slope face, which may be an efficient and economical alternative to the traditional linear slope face.